Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 176: The Day Before Departure

Wu Shuan arrived early, dressed in a simple gray robe and carrying a slender blade across his back. Calm and composed as ever, he nodded once to Han Yu.

"You seem focused," Wu Shuan remarked, eyeing Han Yu’s unusually neat appearance.

"I am," Han Yu replied. "This time, I plan to return from a mission without dying."

"A worthy goal," Wu Shuan said with a faint smirk.

Moments later, a loud crash echoed from the outer walkway, followed by a cascade of apologies and several birds flying away in panic.

"I’m okay! I’m fine!" came the unmistakable voice of Fatty Kui.

Han Yu and Wu Shuan turned to see Fatty Kui stumbling toward them, one sandal on, the other missing, with his robe half-tied and a faint trail of flour dust following behind.

"I tripped over a chicken," Fatty Kui huffed. "Again. I swear, those birds are sent by my master to test me."

"Or you’re just cursed," Han Yu muttered.

Fatty Kui dropped a large bundle on the ground with a loud thud. It bounced once.

"What’s that?" Wu Shuan asked, brow furrowing.

"Supplies," Kui grinned. "Snacks, pickled radish, three types of steamed buns, a teapot, and six jars of preserved pork knuckles. Oh, and one emergency spirit-energy-converting rice cake that I’ve been told is 90% sawdust."

Han Yu stared. "You brought an entire picnic for a lost sword recovery?"

"You don’t understand the mental toll of missions, Brother," Fatty Kui said sagely. "A well-fed stomach cultivates a well-balanced spirit."

Wu Shuan glanced sideways at Han Yu. "He’s your friend."

"He grows on you. Like mold."

Fatty Kui adjusted his robe and grinned. "Anyway! I’m feeling good! Master said I passed the ’rolling-boulder’ test yesterday!"

"You what?" Han Yu blinked.

"Oh, right! He tied me to a log and rolled me down a hill full of boulders. If I survived, I’d be ready for the next phase of training."

"...Did you?"

Fatty Kui nodded proudly. "Only three bruised ribs and one flattened backside!"

Han Yu sighed. "At this rate, you’ll ascend by sheer stubbornness."

As they began final preparations, the three sat down under a shaded tree to discuss the mission details once more.

"The goal is simple," Han Yu said, unrolling the crinkled map. "Recover the lost sword of Elder Huo. Last known location—near the Broken Fang Ravine."

Wu Shuan leaned in. "That’s close to the Mist Eye Sect’s patrol boundary. Are we sure they’ve left the area?"

"Not completely," Han Yu admitted. "That’s what worries me. Elder Zheng was ambushed there. He barely escaped and is still recovering. His sword was left behind in the chaos."

Fatty Kui frowned. "Why can’t the sect send stronger disciples?"

"They wanted to keep it quiet," Han Yu explained. "Sending inner court elites would raise flags. But if a group of ordinary outer court disciples ’happens’ to find it... it’s less suspicious."

"And more disposable," Wu Shuan added bluntly.

Han Yu’s silence confirmed it.

"So we’re bait," Fatty Kui muttered.

"Not necessarily," Han Yu said. "We just need to be careful. Get in, find the sword, and get out. No heroics."

"Heroics are overrated," Fatty Kui nodded solemnly. "I’m built for stealth. Soft steps. Gentle movements. Like a feather in the wind."

"I heard you got stuck in a bucket yesterday," Han Yu reminded him.

"It was strategic concealment."

Wu Shuan chuckled under his breath. "We’ll leave at dawn tomorrow. That gives us the rest of today for final checks and some information updates."

The rest of the day passed in a mix of tense readiness and questionable decision-making.

Han Yu sharpened his sword, practicing Falling Leaf Strikes against a row of straw dummies that no longer had any limbs. He tested Ironwood Stance again and again until he could hold it for five minutes without shaking.

Wu Shuan meditated next to a lake for several hours, occasionally appearing talking to some disciples to gather more updates about their mission location.

Fatty Kui... made sandwiches.

And then tried to sell them.

He was eventually escorted away from the Inner Court area after trying to hawk "spirit-enhancing pork buns" to a senior disciple.

That night, the three gathered again for a final briefing.

Han Yu unwrapped a cloth to reveal three wooden medallions given to them by the sect’s mission hall.

"These are our tracking tokens. If anything happens and we’re separated, activating the tracking formation inside will mark your location—briefly."

"Got it," Wu Shuan nodded, taking his.

"Do not eat it," Han Yu said sternly as he handed one to Fatty Kui.

"I wasn’t going to!" Kui paused. "...It does smell like cinnamon though."

Han Yu groaned. "Why are you like this?"

"It’s part of my charm."

"Also I got some more information about our destination from some of the disciples that have been there recently." Wu Shuan spoke.

"What did you learn?" Han Yu asked while Fatty Kui listened while munching on a dumpling.

"There haven’t been any patrols spotted there for two weeks now, so waiting for all this time was appropriate." Wu Shuan answered.

"That’s good." Han Yu was relieved.

"Guess we can avoid any unnecessary action." Fatty Kui stated.

"The Broken Fang Ravine also seems to be clear of fog these days so we shouldn’t have problems navigating the area. The beasts there are also mostly spirit beasts at the Qi refining realm so we will be fine facing them too." Wu Shuan added, making Han Yu feel more confident.

The trio continued to discuess until they parted in the evening.

That night, Han Yu lay in bed, staring at the moon through his window.

’This time... I won’t mess up. This time, I’ll come out unharmed.’

He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, feeling the quiet pulse of qi in his dantian.

Tomorrow, they would leave.

The Mist Eye Sect might still be there.

The sword might be lost too deep in the ravine for them to find it.

The ravine might be full of beasts.

But they were ready.

Probably.